Do You by Russell Simmons Summary

​​Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success

“Focus on your vision and keep going until you hit the finish line. Don’t be one of the people who believe in their vision at first but then give up. See it through, no matter how long it takes. Understand that obstacles are just part of the game. Whatever you imagine, you can achieve. Once you realize this truth, no one is going to be able to stop you.” ~ Russell Simmons

1. Have a vision and to stick with it.

2. Use Mantras to clear your mind.

3. “The biggest thing that separates you from the success you seek is fear.”

4. “The key ingredient to any kind of happiness or success is to never give less than your best.”

5. “Always focus on your effort, instead of the results of that effort.”

“In my experience, there’s only one thing that will always steer you toward success: That’s to have a vision and to stick with it… Once I have a vision for a new venture, I’m going to ride that vision until the wheels come off.”

That’s the 1st law “Law Number One: See Your Vision and Stick with It.”

Having a vision, a “WHY”, a Purpose is what drives us and makes as feel ALIVE.

So, do you have a vision?

“Focus on your vision and keep going until you hit the finish line. Don’t be one of the people who believe in their vision at first but then give up. See it through, no matter how long it takes. Understand that obstacles are just part of the game. Whatever you imagine, you can achieve. Once you realize this truth, no one is going to be able to stop you.”

“The word mantra comes from two Sanskrit words man, (‘to think’) and tra (‘tool’). So the literal translation is ‘a tool of thought.’ And that’s how mantras are used in Buddhist and Hindu practices, as tools that clear your mind of distractions. Because when you focus on repeating that mantra over and over again, soon the noise will die down and all you will hear is your inner voice.”

So, Mantra is “A tool of thought.”

Have you used mantras before?

One of my favorite mantras is “If they can do it, I can do it” … That helps me a lot while I’m working.

Russell advices us: “I’m just suggesting that when you’re faced with fear and anxiety, don’t medicate. Meditate instead.”

“You’ve got to tell God thank you every day.”

And he also says: “A clear and focused mind will last a lifetime. Getting your mind in shape is nothing less than the key to sustainable success in the world.”

So, choose your mantras and use them to clear your mind… They are really powerful… 🙂

“When I start my day by reflecting on all the things I have to be grateful for, I’ll have a much more rewarding day.”

Gratitude is one of the most powerful ways to boost our levels of happiness. It is like a meditative state of feeling blessed all the time…

So, the best practice is to start and end your day thinking about the things for which you’re grateful.

Breath in gratitude in every moment of every day, and watch the magic happening in your life.

So… a warm up exercise… Write 5 things you’re grateful for:

I’m grateful for:

1. .......................

2. .......................

3. .......................

4. .......................

5. .......................

“Your purpose is to act on the resources God gives you. If God gives you a bucket of fish, you have to distribute those fish. If you don’t, they’re going to rot, attract a bunch of flies, and start stinking up your soul.”

You have gifts inside you. You can do things that other people can’t. Use these gifts to serve others and serve the world… That should be your vision and purpose for life…

Got it? 🙂

“The pain that’s created by avoiding hard work is actually much worse than any pain created from the actual work itself. Because if you don’t begin to work on those ideas that God has blessed you with, they will become stagnant inside of you and eventually begin to eat away at you.

You might seem OK on the outside, but inside you will be ill from not getting those ideas out of your heart and into the world. Stalling leads to sickness. But taking steps, even baby steps, always leads to success.”

I can relate to that! I really feel pain when I don’t accomplish what I plan…

What about you?

Taking baby steps towards your goals is very powerful, don’t ever underestimate these baby steps.

Russell says: “I knew it was unrealistic to think I could build an institution overnight. But if I took baby steps, eventually it would happen.”

And he also says: “The key ingredient to any kind of happiness or success is to never give less than your best.”

So, give your best one step at a time and you’ll eventually arrive, that’s a FACT…

Will you? 🙂

“In the yogic tradition, this principle of using intense effort to burn through life’s distractions is called Tapas. It’s another Sanskrit word, roughly defined as ‘heat’ or ‘essential energy.’

The concept is that through a disciplined approach to work and self-sacrifice, Tapas will burn away the negativity that separates us from God. By working our hardest and happily enduring the hardships of life we are able to create a sense of peace and clarity in ourselves.”

Russell tells us that as we live our life with discipline, passion and integrity, we burn away the negativity that can separate us from God.

And that leads to happiness and fulfillment.

He also says “The person who understands Dharma will have the opposite reaction to a ‘hard’ job. That person will be eager to get started, no matter what kind of work is in front of her, because she understands that she’s doing God’s work. And when you’re working for God, nothing is too hard.”

“Age ain’t nothing but a number.”

“I’m too old to do that” … “I’m too young to do this!”

Think about that… How often do you make excuses for why you can’t do something because of your age?

Your age is just a number… You can do anything at any time…

Just do it!

“Whatever obstacles appear in your path, put your head down and get past them. Those obstacles aren’t real. They’re just God’s way of testing you. He’s asking you, ‘Do you want to make it or not?’”

So, whenever obstacles appear in your path, say “Yes, I wanna make it”, smile, and get back to work 🙂

“I know some people say ‘Keep your eyes on the prize,’ but I disagree. When your eyes are stuck on the prize, you’re going to keep stumbling and crashing into things. If you really want to get ahead, you’ve got to keep your eyes focused on the path.”

“Always focus on your effort, instead of the results of that effort.”

Focus on the present moment, on what you’re doing right now…

Focusing on the result can be overwhelming, that may freeze you.

So, keep your eyes on the path and keep moving…

“In my opinion, his problem was that every day, he was waking up trying to figure out what he can get, instead of waking up trying to figure out what he can give. Instead of asking for a blessing, he should have practiced being a blessing.”

Russell says: “My purpose is defined by the power of giving back and sharing.”

On which side are you? A giver or a receiver?

Every success story starts by solving others’ problems… Give yourself to the world, use your gifts and start being a blessing… 🙂

“The science is simple: When you give the world love and respect, the world will give you love and respect back.”

“When you do good by the world, the world will do good by you.”

So, what seeds are you planting? Are you looking forward to their harvest?

What one thing you need to stop and what one thing you need to start doing right now?

Choose your seeds you wanna plant wisely, because you’ll get them back…

“When I talk about Doing You, I’m really just asking you to listen to that voice of God inside of you again.”

What’s your voice telling you?

Take the time everyday to quiet your mind, breath, meditate or pray… listen to that voice inside of you and get to your highest self… and start doing you 🙂

That was my Do You summary, a very quick look at this great book. This book is for everyone wants to have a more successful balanced life! If you haven’t read it yet and you’re interested in it, get a copy. There is a HUGE amount of wisdom and value in this book, and we’ve only touched on a tiny bit of it.

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